Despite [actually, more likely because of] a rash of recent closures at meat processing facilities due to COVID-19 outbreaks, the White House issued an executive order classifying the slaughterhouses as “critical...more
4/30/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Airlines ,
Alphabet Company ,
Boeing ,
BSA/AML ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment ,
Lobbying ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
SBA ,
Securities Violations ,
Shopping Centers
All the talk of when to reopen the economy is largely gotten in the way of a bigger (and thornier, if possible) question: how to do it. Despite the bold declarations from optimists and wishful thinkers that it’s as easy as a...more
4/28/2020
/ Air Carriers ,
Bailout ,
Banks ,
Boeing ,
Business Closures ,
CARES Act ,
Casinos ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Native American Issues ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Retail Market ,
SBA ,
Settlement ,
Zoom®
The Senate has passed a $484 billion measure that would add $130 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, the “small-business loan program that ran out of funding last week after being deluged with applications.” The bill...more
4/21/2020
/ Chipotle Grill ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Suisse ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Food Contamination ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Netflix ,
Oil Prices ,
Relief Measures ,
Retail Market ,
RMBS
The White House and the US airline industry have agreed in principle to a $25 billion bailout after weeks of “haggling” over the terms, including whether the Treasury Department was “effectively turning the grants into loans...more
4/16/2020
/ Bailout ,
Bank of America ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Earnings Reports ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Fraud ,
Google ,
IMF ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Layoffs ,
Loans ,
NBC ,
Online Advertisements ,
Recessions ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Revenues ,
Theranos ,
Tourism ,
Wells Fargo
All is not coming up aces for Masa Son and his faltering SoftBank empire, which warned investors on Monday of a coming $16.7 billion loss to its landmark Vision Fund, the tech-focused venture that’s been hammered by “the...more
4/15/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Business Interruption ,
CARES Act ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Wallets ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Financial Markets ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Supply ,
Forbearance Agreements ,
LinkedIn ,
Mortgages ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
PayPal ,
Roku ,
Smithfield Foods ,
SoftBank ,
Supply Chain ,
Unemployment ,
Zoom®
The pandemic is bringing rivals Apple and Google together in an effort to develop a system for “tracking through Bluetooth technology the contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, a method the tech giants...more
4/13/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Business Closures ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Instagram ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
School Closures ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommuting ,
Trading Policies ,
Unemployment Benefits
Macy’s announced on Monday that it will furlough most of its nearly 130,000 workers (at its Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury retail locations) starting this week as its stores remained shuttered due to the pandemic....more
3/31/2020
/ Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Furloughs ,
Gap Inc ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Insider Trading ,
Insurance Claims ,
Kohls ,
Layoffs ,
Macy's ,
Relief Measures ,
Retailers ,
S&P ,
Share Buybacks ,
Videoconference
Tuesday was one of those rare Bear Market good days. Renewed optimism about a forthcoming Congressional stimulus deal (including the estimated $2 trillion it encompasses) and more time to digest the Fed’s commitment to...more
3/25/2020
/ Amazon ,
Banks ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Manufacturers ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Microsoft ,
Rating Agencies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stress Tests ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber
Monday on Wall Street was the equivalent of a well-forecast storm that still managed to blow meteorologists’ minds. The deadly combination of diving oil prices and yet more COVID-19 worries spelled disaster for U.S. markets,...more
3/10/2020
/ Activist Investors ,
Bank Accounts ,
Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Board of Directors ,
China ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corruption ,
Cross-Selling ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Dow Jones ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fifth Third Mortgage Company ,
Financial Markets ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Investment ,
Oil Prices ,
OPEC ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Resignation ,
Russia ,
S&P ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Short-Term Loans ,
Stock Prices ,
Twitter ,
Wells Fargo
Apple announced that the coronavirus outbreak that’s brought Chinese manufacturing to a near-standstill and continues to spread around the world will affect its quarterly sales expectations. The news makes Apple “one of the...more
2/18/2020
/ Alstom ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Bayer ,
Bond Markets ,
Business Interruption ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Liability ,
Dairy Farmers ,
Dairy Farmers of America ,
Data Breach ,
DuPont ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
France ,
Hackers ,
HSBC ,
Internet ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Layoffs ,
Manufacturers ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Monsanto ,
Online Platforms ,
Pesticides ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retailers ,
Revenue ,
Toxic Chemicals
UK regulators are probing ties between disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Barclays CEO Jes Staley. The bank’s board is so far standing 100% with Staley, who has expressed “regret” over his relationship with Epstein....more
2/13/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Android ,
Barclays ,
Boeing ,
CEOs ,
Child Abuse ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Facebook ,
Fear of Harm ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fraud ,
Google ,
Government Investigations ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Nissan ,
OFCOM ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Smartphones ,
Sprint ,
Startups ,
Stock Sale Agreements ,
T-Mobile ,
Telecommunications ,
Terrorist Acts ,
Theranos ,
UK ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology
Volvo’s owner, Li Shufu, is mulling over a move to combine the carmaker with his publicly traded Geely Automobile Holdings—a play that would take Volvo public and “unify the bulk of billionaire Li’s growing stable of...more
2/10/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Automotive Industry ,
Aviation Industry ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Reporting ,
Ford Motor ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Investment Fraud ,
IRS ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Municipalities ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Management ,
Safe Harbors ,
Settlement ,
Small Business ,
Software ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Sale Agreements ,
UAW ,
Union Dues ,
Volvo ,
White Collar Crimes
Facebook has agreed to pay $550 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming that Zuck & Co.’s use of facial recognition technology violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Though the settlement is little more than “a...more
1/30/2020
/ Airplane Accidents ,
Apple ,
Automotive Industry ,
Aviation Industry ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Boeing ,
Broadcom ,
Canada ,
Class Action ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Electronic Data Transmissions ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Facebook ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
FDIC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Interest Rates ,
iPhone ,
Loans ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Mexico ,
Microchip Technology ,
OCC ,
Patent Infringement ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Pyramid Schemes ,
Quarterly Report ,
Smartphones ,
Social Media ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Statutory Violations ,
Stock Prices ,
Tesla ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wifi ,
Withdrawal Agreement
While there’s plenty of other business afoot in D.C. these days, it also happens to have been a pretty big week for trade deals. A day after Phase One with China was inked, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a revised...more
1/17/2020
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Bayer ,
Business Valuations ,
Canada ,
Cancer ,
Comcast ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Germany ,
Google ,
Huawei ,
Imports ,
International Trade Disputes ,
Internet Streaming ,
Mexico ,
Monsanto ,
NAFTA ,
Online Advertisements ,
Pesticides ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Raids ,
Social Media ,
Stock Markets ,
Stock Prices ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
WhatsApp ,
WTO
The US and China have reportedly reached an initial agreement on the “final terms of a phase one trade deal, moving both countries closer to signing a pact that” the White House originally announced in October and averting...more
12/13/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
China ,
Competition ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Debt ,
Digital Wallets ,
Economic Growth ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Franchisee ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Google ,
Imports ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Manufacturers ,
McDonalds ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Gaming ,
PayPal ,
Political Campaigns ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Prepaid Payment Products ,
Revenue ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Unemployment ,
US Trade Policies ,
Venmo
The U.S. and China have tentatively [maybe?] agreed that a first phase of a trade agreement “would roll back a portion of the tariffs placed on each other’s products, a significant step toward defusing tensions between the...more
11/8/2019
/ Abuse of Power ,
Aerospace ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Bank of England ,
Boeing ,
Capital One ,
CFTC ,
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Common Law Claims ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disney ,
Document Requests ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exports ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Bans ,
Financial Crimes ,
Gap Inc ,
Google ,
High-Speed Trading ,
HSBC ,
Imports ,
Index Funds ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investment Fraud ,
Market Manipulation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Online Advertisements ,
Pension Funds ,
Personal Data ,
Resignation ,
Retail Market ,
Spoofing ,
State and Local Government ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vaping
Federal authorities have been looking into Under Armour’s accounting practices for the better part of the past two years, a revelation that sent company shares reeling in premarket trading this morning....more
11/4/2019
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Cambridge Analytica ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Currency Fluctuation ,
Data Collection ,
Disgorgement ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Equitable Relief ,
Facebook ,
Fiat ,
Fitbit ,
Foreign Investment ,
Google ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Judicial Review ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
McDonalds ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Security ,
Negligence ,
Office Space ,
Penalties ,
Peugeot ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Retailers ,
Saudi Aramco ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sharing Economy ,
Smart Devices ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Wearable Technology ,
Workplace Romances ,
WTO
As universally expected, the Fed’s Open Market Committee delivered its third interest rate cut of 2019 yesterday, though it did so while signaling that it’s likely to pause before taking action again and “is now shifting into...more
10/31/2019
/ 1MDB ,
Capital Losses ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Deutsche Bank ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
Global Warming ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Investment Fraud ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Money Laundering ,
Online Advertisements ,
Peugeot ,
Political Advertising ,
Political Campaigns ,
Quarterly Report ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Social Media ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Twitter ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Trade Policies ,
White Collar Crimes
We didn’t get flop sweat Zuck, but it was still a hot seat indeed for Facebook’s founder and CEO on the Hill yesterday, who fielded a wide range of questions from Libra to political freedom of expression on his platform....more
10/24/2019
/ Airplane Accidents ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Automotive Industry ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Cryptocurrency ,
E-Commerce ,
Earnings Reports ,
Electric Cooperative ,
Elon Musk ,
Facebook ,
False Advertising ,
Fashion Industry ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Forever 21 ,
GAO ,
Google ,
Hedge Funds ,
Internet Retailers ,
Kellogg Company ,
Political Advertising ,
Profits ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Social Media ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars
Nike’s top dog, CEO Mark Parker, is stepping down at the beginning of 2020, to be replaced by board member and ServiceNow CEO John Donahoe. Parker, who will assume the role of executive chair when Donahoe takes over, has been...more
10/23/2019
/ Bank of England ,
Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Boeing ,
Books & Records ,
CEOs ,
Climate Change ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Elizabeth Warren ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Fintech Charter ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Illegal Profits ,
Insider Trading ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
National Bank Charters ,
Nike ,
OCC ,
Office Space ,
Price-Fixing ,
Quanta ,
Repossess ,
Resignation ,
Securities Fraud ,
Sharing Economy ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament
SoftBank’s plan to help bail out WeWork would mean not only a takeover by Masa Son’s crew but also “would slash the co-working company’s valuation to about $8 billion”—a staggering drop of nearly $40 billion. The plan would...more
10/22/2019
/ Bailout ,
Business Valuations ,
Cardinal Health ,
CEOs ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Disney ,
Electricity ,
Facebook ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Lucasfilm ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
McKesson Technologies ,
Office Space ,
On-Demand Services ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
PG&E ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Reorganizations ,
Resignation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sharing Economy ,
SoftBank ,
Star Wars ,
Takeovers ,
Teva Pharmaceuticals ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament ,
Wells Fargo
Details are trickling in on the tentative Brexit agreement reached between UK and EU negotiators this week, just 14 days ahead of the Halloween departure deadline. A massive sticking point here remains the British...more
10/18/2019
/ Banks ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Brokers ,
Charles Schwab ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Corruption ,
Credit Suisse ,
E-Cigarettes ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
False Statements ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Harm ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Motors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Kickbacks ,
Labor Relations ,
Mozambique ,
Netflix ,
Political Speech ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Presidential Elections ,
Retail Market ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Scams ,
Securities Transactions ,
Severe Weather ,
Social Media ,
Strike ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
UAW ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vaping ,
Wage and Hour ,
White Collar Crimes ,
White Papers
Good news out of Detroit late yesterday, with officials from General Motors and the United Autoworkers Union striking a “tentative agreement on a new labor contract that could end the monthlong strike that has idled G.M....more
10/17/2019
/ Alcoa ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Automotive Industry ,
Balance Sheets ,
Bench Trial ,
Broadcom ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Economic Reform ,
EU ,
Exclusionary Authority ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
FCC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
General Motors ,
Housing Market ,
Investment Fraud ,
Labor Relations ,
Lifeline Program ,
Liquidity ,
Retail Sales ,
Sprint ,
Strike ,
T-Mobile ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Treasury Markets ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
US Trade Policies
We Work’s largest investor, SoftBank, is reportedly sketching out plans in which it would drop billions of additional money on the company in return for giving Masa Son control of WeWork “and further sidelin[ing] its founder...more
10/14/2019
/ Banks ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Earnings Reports ,
eBay ,
Electricity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Global Marketplace ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
MasterCard ,
Offerings ,
Office Space ,
Offshore Companies ,
Opioid ,
OxyContin ,
Pain Management ,
PG&E ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Sears ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Sharing Economy ,
SoftBank ,
Stays ,
Tariffs ,
Token Sales ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Treasury Regulations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unregistered Securities ,
US Trade Policies ,
Visa Inc ,
Volkswagen ,
Wall Street ,
Wildfires
Senior negotiators from the U.S. and China will officially resume trade negotiations today, “with higher tariffs looming if [they] fail to break a five-month stalemate.” The U.S.’s moves this week to blacklist 28 Chinese tech...more
10/10/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Bed Bath & Beyond ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fidelity Investments ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Government Investigations ,
Imports ,
Internal Controls ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Mesothelioma ,
Netflix ,
Pensions ,
Plan Administrators ,
Private Equity ,
Public Pension ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supply Chain ,
Target ,
Tariffs ,
Teachers ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trading Platforms ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies